News from National Voices

"Social care could get worse before it gets better" - National Voices' press release
(31/03/10)

"Giving a cautious welcome to the government’s reforms, National Voices has praised the vision of a more equitable system but questioned the timescale. The long term aim is to create certainty about entitlements and make essential care free at the point of use. But this will be a long time coming and in the meantime there will be further confusion, unfairness and possible real terms cuts in social care funding."

Hospital closures: National Voices' members call for earlier patient involvement
(March - April 2010)

The...

The following is an extract from an article in the Health Service Journal (HSJ)
17 March 2010, by Dave West

Dozens of patient organisations are backing plans to close hospital services in coming years, but fear they will be let down by bad public engagement.

National Voices, the umbrella group representing many patient groups, including the Stroke Association, Cancer Research UK and the National Childbirth Trust, has said closures will “sometimes be the right outcome” as the NHS faces investment cuts and growing demand.